I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to an automated self-contained system for employing and rapidly exchanging chassis-mounted truck bodies or modular containers and, more particularly, the invention involves a system that utilizes a mechanized sub-frame that lifts to remove or mount the body and tilts to unload the contents of the truck body which is integral with and operable using power from the truck chassis itself. The system is capable of interfacing with self-supporting or unsupported body modules.
II. Description of the Related Art
Truck-type vehicles generally include a heavily constructed structural chassis frame which provides the cab and the truck body support structure and includes the engine, drive train and associated hydraulic systems and/or other power take-off mechanisms. The chassis are generally combined with a permanently mounted single-function body. Thus, a chassis designed to support a permanently attached delivery box, dump body or other special-function device such as a refuse compaction body is limited to that function once assembled. Even where the single function is all that is desired, such as with the collection and transport of refuse, much of the working time of the vehicle is spent traveling to and from landfills to empty full containers.
Common types of refuse trucks include front-end loading and side loading embodiments in which the refuse is compacted rearward and removed and discharged through a rear access. The front-end loading version is particularly adapted to pick-up and dump large commercial refuse containers or storage bins in which the filled container is addressed at the front of the truck, picked up by a pair of side mounted lifting arms and fork arms which engage the container to raise it above the storage body of the refuse truck and invert it to dump its contents into a top opening in a truck body just behind the cab. The sequence is then reversed and the empty refuse container is returned to the ground. The material received from the storage container is then compacted through the rearward movement of a compaction panel within the storage body. In the receiving position, the compaction panel is positioned forward of the top opening and after the refuse is received in the body, the panel is advanced rearward to propel and compact the refuse into a rear storage section and against a heavy tailgate which is hinged to the storage body to close a rear discharge opening. After the rearward movement of the compaction panel to pack the refuse, the panel is again moved forward and positioned to address and compact new refuse.
In this manner, the rear portion of the storage container eventually becomes completely filled with compacted refuse. At this point, the truck containing the filled refuse container must be driven to a landfill or other point of discharge which may be many miles away to be unloaded before it can be returned to service to pick up additional refuse. The time required for driving to and from the loading and the unloading site, of course, is wasted or "down" time with respect to collecting refuse.
The refuse truck represents or illustrates one type of specialty-use vehicle which could be utilized much more efficiently and effectively were the time directed to transporting and unloading the refuse reduced during collection hours. If the traditional dedicated permanently fixed refuse receiving and compacting truck body could be replaced by an easily exchangeable truck body temporarily connected to the truck chassis for refuse collection such that each filled container could be disconnected quickly, left at a convenient location and replaced by an empty container, the truck could be kept in service virtually the entire usable refuse collecting time and the efficiency of the collection operation could be greatly enhanced.
Methods and devices have been proposed for interchanging various truck body configurations on a single chassis. In this manner, it has been suggested, for example, to exchange such diverse configurations as a dump body, tank body and stake body on a single chassis to transform a single-use vehicle to a multi-use device. Devices designed to allow quick release coupling of interchangeable bodies which may be the same body design include devices such as that illustrated and described by Williams in U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,414, which uses a system in which a plurality of interlocking hooks and tabs provided on a chassis and the truck body are engaged by moving the truck body horizontally along on the chassis using external means. A latch pin, or the like, prevents dislodgement of the body from the chassis once in place. While this system does provide for a quick-releasable positive hold-down for the truck body, no mechanized means are provided on the truck itself to accomplish the latching and unlatching, which must depend on means external to the truck.
Other devices accomplish latching and unlatching using tilt mechanisms and other systems which require the truck to be addressed by large external devices to move the vehicle body relative to the chassis. None of the prior devices provides a simple chassis-mounted, self-contained automated system capable of exchanging truck bodies on a chassis.
It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle-mounted, self-contained container handling apparatus for receiving, engaging and releasing containers which may be truck bodies, or the like, capable of locking and unlocking a container.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a container handling apparatus for removing and mounting containers which is also capable of unloading the containers by tilting.
A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a container handling apparatus for removing and mounting truck bodies which is self-aligning.
Another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary tilt frame to be secured to a chassis that uses the same mechanism to unload a truck body by tilting and to lift and remove or mount the truck body.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a truck-mounted container handling apparatus for removing, mounting and unloading a container that requires only one sub-frame system to accomplish these functions.
A yet still further object of the invention is to provide a container handling system that does not require the mounting of any components to the outside surfaces of the truck chassis.
Other objects and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art in conjunction with an appreciation of the present specification and claims.